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Heaven Is a Place on Earth
| Format = | Recorded = | Genre = | Length = 4:06 (album version) 3:54 (promo 7" edit) 6:00 (heavenly version) | Label = MCA Records | Writer = | Producer = Rick Nowels | Last single = "Since You've Gone" (1986) | This single = "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" (1987) | Next single = "I Get Weak" (1988) | Misc = }} "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" is a song by American singer Belinda Carlisle, featured on her second studio album, Heaven on Earth (1987). Written by Rick Nowels and Ellen Shipley, the power ballad was released as the album's lead single in September 1987, and it hit number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on December 5, 1987, becoming Carlisle's only US chart-topper. A month later it hit number one in the United Kingdom, where it held the top spot of the UK Singles Chart for two weeks. The song reached number one in many other countries, among them Switzerland, Ireland, Sweden, South Africa and Norway. The song also reached number three in Germany and Canada, number two in Australia, and number six in Italy. It is widely considered to be Carlisle's signature song because of its success on the charts and its continued relevance today. The song was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. It lost to Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)". Composition The song is performed in the key of E major with a tempo of 123 beats per minute in common time. Carlisle's vocals span from E3 to D 5. In the final chorus of the song, the key is transposed to F major. Music video The promotional video was directed by Academy Award-winning actress Diane Keaton and features an appearance of Carlisle's husband Morgan Mason. It also features children wearing black masks and a cape while each of them holds an illuminated plastic globe. Carlisle appeared wearing a strapless dress and later changed to a black off-the-shoulder blouse. The video was partially filmed at Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park in Valencia, California, on the Spin Out ride. Production Carlisle's backup vocalists on the track include songwriters Nowels and Shipley as well as Michelle Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas and songwriter Diane Warren. It also featured Thomas Dolby on keyboards. Track listing # "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" - 4:06 # "We Can Change" - 3:45 # "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" (Heavenly version) - 6:00 # "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" (A cappella version) - 3:49 Charts and certifications Weekly charts Year-end charts Sales and certifications See also * List of Billboard number-one singles * List of number-one singles and albums in Sweden References External links * by Universal Music Group. * Belinda Carlisle - A Place On Earth. * Belinda discusses "Heaven Is A Place On Earth" - RetroRewind interview * Category:1987 songs Category:1987 singles Category:Belinda Carlisle songs Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Category:European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles Category:Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Category:Number-one singles in New Zealand Category:Number-one singles in Norway Category:Number-one singles in Sweden Category:Number-one singles in Switzerland Category:UK Singles Chart number-one singles Category:Songs written by Rick Nowels Category:Songs written by Ellen Shipley Category:Song recordings produced by Rick Nowels Category:MCA Records singles